BELGRADE (2015 FIBA U19 World Championship) - There was a collective sigh of relief among the Serbian team as leader Stefan Lazarevic was given the green light to prepare for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship having recovered from a broken arm. 

Lazarevic, who captained Serbia to a second-placed finish at the 2014 U18 European Championship, was cleared by doctors to participate in team practice and if he gets past the next week with no pain then he will be okayed to play at the U19 Worlds.

"I'm very excited but the fight is not over yet," he told FIBA.com.

Lazarevic broke his left arm on May 30 in a Serbian league game against of all teams Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade, who sent the guard to FMP on loan.

"I was running back on defense, went for the ball and when I was in the air, somebody tackled me and I felt my arm break when I hit the ground," recalled the 1.98m swingman, who was named to the U18 European Championship All-Tournament Team.

Lazarevic said he will likely work out without the ball initially with the Serbian team and he is expected to wear a cast - or at least a protective sleeve - on his non-shooting arm.

Serbia have been drawn into Group D of the 2015 U19 Worlds, where they will take on Korea, Dominican Republic and Greece.

FIBA